Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

Preserving Faith Amidst Disruption: The Impact Of Obama And Biden’S Woke Foreign Policy On Christian Values In Africa And Its Effect On American Democracy Promotion, Christophe Mwungura

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

In May 2023, Uganda enacted a law criminalizing homosexuality. The Ugandan parliament and President Yoweri Museveni defended the enactment of this law, arguing that homosexuality directly violates Ugandan cultural norms and Biblical doctrines. In response to this legislative action, the United States immediately condemned the law and threatened to withdraw the U.S. President’s Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR), along with other forms of assistance and investments. Despite this, many Ugandans, supported by their leaders, publicly expressed their willingness to accept the aid suspension rather than repeal the law. This article will examine the promotion of LGBTQ rights in Africa, …

China: A Settler Colonial Empire?, Kaleb Horne

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

China’s rapid expansion is a growing concern to many in the West, yet the history and pattern of its meteoric rise is deeply misunderstood. Surprisingly, its rise may be similar to that of many Western states. This paper will examine a constellation of China’s territorial and cultural expansions. Furthermore, it will examine ongoing and future expansions of the Chinese empire. It will examine Chinese actions in Tibet, the Yunnan Province, the Guizhou Province, Taiwan, the Belt and Road Initiative, and examine China’s ongoing treatment of Uyghur Muslims. These subjects will also be qualitatively compared to settler colonial theories, as described …

The Federal Reserve And The People's Bank Of China: Taiwan, John Davis

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Throughout time and history, civilizations have risen and fallen. Empires have cultivated massive amounts of land, only to be torn down by internal conflict. Nations have amassed armies to go to war, only for the tactics of war to switch. The extended history of international relations must be summed up into a single word: deception. Because of this, nations seek to grow their militaries, economies, and cultures in ways that rival others. The competition that the United States (US) will encounter over the next decade is through asymmetrical competition with China. However, the United States has historically been economically linked …

Navigating The Threat Posed By The Chinese Communist Party, Adam Opp

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

For decades, the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) and the economic growth of China has become a threat to the United States. Beginning in 1978, the CCP issued a series of economic, market-oriented reforms which led to a period of economic growth and productivity increase in China. The CCP turned to diplomacy with the United States and other nations to increase foreign investment and implemented the Belt and Road initiative. The impressive scale of Chinese economic growth poses an economic and hegemonic threat to the United States, as China’s economy is projected to outpace the United States and the CCP has …

An Analysis Of The Abortion Fight's History, Facts, And Strategies In A Post-Roe V. Wade World, Jeremy Kang

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Despite the Supreme Court’s Dobbs decision reversing Roe v. Wade - thereby giving states the freedom to regulate abortion as they saw fit - no significant decline in abortion numbers followed, raising the question: what is the right way to fight abortion?

One factor to be considered: how does the Constitution permit the different levels of government to tackle this topic? For half a century the Roe decision allowed the federal government to trump a state’s right to choose the level of abortion restrictions it deemed fit. Now the decision has been returned to the states. But which decision was …

Human Trafficking And Potential Terrorist Ties, Haleigh Perkins

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Human trafficking is a major issue in the United States. It is important not only as citizens of the United States, but as Christian’s that we recognize this issue and strive to make a difference. There are many ways that human trafficking is spread throughout the United States. For instance, controlled substances. “Traffickers may focus and recruit individuals with a history of or existing substance use disorder. This allows traffickers to induce or exploit substance use, using it as a reward or punishment to maintain control” (The Administration for Children and Families, n.d.). Other times, the internet may be involved …

Criminal Justice: Racial Equity In United States Of America, Glenn Bass

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The purpose of this paper is to provide the reader with a spiritual sense of awakening as it pertains to a revelation of the human spirit. A revival, or improvement in the condition of any individual or social infrastructure will re-establish citizenship and further restore virtue within the United States of America. Researchers have articulated that our criminal justice system is broken through police retention/recruitment, lack of resources, ineffective prosecution and public defenders, sentencing disparities, and lack of understanding of the socioeconomic status of the criminal or violent offender. These issues are subtopics underneath the umbrella of racial equity. The …

The Social Contract And Feminism, Grace A. Albertson

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

This paper seeks to prove the value placed on women in society, and disprove the claim that the social contract is inherently patriarchal. Radical feminists claim that society as a whole is irreparably flawed and operates patriarchally. Therefore, they call for a systematic shift and condemn the current fabric of our society and nation. The social contract, an idea centered around the philosophical works of John Locke and Thomas Hobbes served as the primary way that the founders of the United States justified the formation of American democracy and had immense influence on American political thought. However, feminists seek to …

The True Cost Of Education, William J. Norris Iii

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Education, rightfully, has been seen as the best way to train the next generation of citizens. The Founding Fathers held that it was essential for the nation’s growth to teach children citizenship and virtue. With the recent expansion of school choice options across the country, this is a good time to refocus on that goal, and examine the true cost of public education in America. This study will examine data, particularly information published by the Department of Education and the U.S. Census Bureau, to form a picture of the true cost of public education. Even though a large percentage of …

Obligation And Authority: Samuel West And The Christian Tradition Of Resistance Theology, Darren Patrick Guerra

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Is there a Christian obligation to resist tyranny? This has been a controversial question in Christian politics and theology for generations. In the prelude to the American War for Independence, some influential colonial clergy, like Samuel West, argued in 1775 that Christians not only had a right to resist tyrannical rulers, but they had an obligation to do so. This is consistent with a long but controversial strain of thought within the Christian political thought. West’s argument hinges on his commitment to the natural law as a foundation for social and moral order as well as his rejection of theological …

What The Yalta Conference For The Rights And Freedoms Of The Peoples Of Western And Eastern Europe Meant, Denis-Roxana Gavrila

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

Many books have been written on the subject of the Yalta conference, but the subject of this article is how the discussions in the winter of 1945 later influenced the fate of peoples around the world. Human rights were born at the end of the war, and among the protagonists who campaigned for them, were the conference leaders. The article below attempts to show the historical role the Yalta conference played, not only in terms of spheres of influence, but also how it shaped the rights and freedoms of the peoples of Eastern and Western Europe.

Citizenship And Virtue’ Are Requirements For Maintaining Liberty, Timothy P. O'Brien

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

In the twenty-first century, the United States of America has been caught in a time of increased polarization, the Republic has been fraying as the sense of community has cracked, where fanatics on the extremes of the political spectrum have contributed to the disruption of normal political order driven by normative agendas. The underlying political theories on which the nations was founded emerged from the ancient Greek philosophers and passed through the early Christian philosophers to the Framers of the Constitution of the United States of America. This article explores the foundations of citizenship and virtue as it applies to …

The American Project And The American Soul, Darren Patrick Guerra

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

What is the role of virtue in the American political project in the American soul? This is a burning, if not, defining question in American politics today. This paper will briefly examine various contemporary accounts of the role of virtue in the American project and its impact on the future of American politics, and finally in turn the American soul. This paper will examine the works of Patrick Deneen, Robert Reilly, Dyer & Cooper, among others. It will argue that virtue, properly conceived, plays a vital role in American Politics and it must be connected to an objective moral order, …

Mediterranean Security: Italian, United States, Nato, And North African National Interests From A Geopolitical Perspective, Mary Prentice, Umberto Bosna, Kueth Yul

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

This paper discusses important international issues related to the region of the Mediterranean Sea particularly focusing on Italy and North African security issues. Security and stability issues were researched. This region is interconnected through important geo-economic issues such as the gas pipelines that supply Italy with methane gas pass through the seabed of the Mediterranean Sea, connecting North Africa with Italy and the whole of Europe. In particular there are the gas pipelines that from Libya and Tunisia, across the Mediterranean Sea, arrive in Italy, supplying the entire nation with methane gas at a good price. Italy has promoted the …

The 5 Disruptions, Anthony Hughes

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

The end of GWOT, coupled with Russian failures in Ukraine, has created an uncertain strategic environment—similar to the environment after WWI. The Great War aftermath created a power vacuum exploited by rising powers—likewise, the GWOT and Russian aftermath has created a new multi-polar environment with a new actors competing to revise the balance of power. The emerging era is a Great Power competition marked by competitions between powers across different venues to accrue status relative to their competitors. After WWI, 5 Disruptions emerged to reshape the balance of power between states. These disruptions were: diplomatic, technical, military, economic and social. …

City On A Hill: A Reflection On Christian Ethic And Human Morality, Mayce Combs

Helm's School of Government Conference - American Revival: Citizenship & Virtue

In John Winthrop’s sermon A Model of Christian Charity (1630), he spoke to his congregation of the mission God had called them to. With the creation of a new blended nation, the only way to be exceptional was to reflect the gospel in policy, action, and foremost thought. Philosophers from ancient times to today acknowledge that an individual is made up of the soul and their body. From the soul, comes thought, reason, empathy, and a connection to a divine being who deciphers what is morally unjust. The body is a sinful, self-seeking vessel that does not have the ability …

The Perceived Value Of A University Education Among The Winona State University Student Body, Mason G. Moran

Research & Creative Achievement Day

This is a research project studying how highly valued higher education is among students attending Winona State University. The survey was the result of a combined effort of the students currently enrolled in POLS 410 and distributed via Qualtrics. This poster is a Capstone Project as required by the Political Science Program.

Economic Inequality And Its Effects On Voting And Attitudes Toward Government, Logan D. Spano

Research & Creative Achievement Day

This is a research project that studies how economic inequality affects voting and attitudes towards the government, using data from students enrolled in Winona State University. The survey used is a combined effort of students in POLS 410 and is distributed to WSU students through Qualtrics. This poster is a Capstone project as required by the Political Science Program.

Attitudes Around Space Exploration Among The Wsu Student Body, Nicholas L. Fryer

Research & Creative Achievement Day

This is a research project that studies the attitudes among the Winona State University student population on the subject matter of space exploration. The survey was the result of a combined effort of students enrolled currently in POLS 410 and was distributed through the platform, Qualtrics. This poster is a Capstone project as required by the Political Science program.

Do Young People Consider Democratic Institutions To Be Sacrosanct?, Zachary D. Queensland

Research & Creative Achievement Day

This research project strives to examine whether young people at Winona State University perceive fundamental democratic institutions to be sacrosanct. This survey was the result of a collaborative effort between students that are presently enrolled in POLS 410. The survey was submitted through Qualtrics and organized by students in the POLS 410 class. This poster is a Capstone Project as mandated by the Political Science Program.

How Do Young People Feel About Voting And How To Increase Voter Turnout Among Young People, Jacob M. Brynjulfson

Research & Creative Achievement Day

This is a capstone research project required by the political science department for POLS 410. I am going to be researching how young people feel about voting at Winona State University. The survey I have used was submitted on Qualtrics and worked on by all the students in POLS 410.

Capitalism In Europe Vs. Latin America, Brandy Mace, Lucas E. Mainhart, Caleb Edwards, Dayton Lamb, Jesus Herrera-Herrera

ATU Research Symposium

Focusing on the years 1995 to 2023, what are the universal traits of capitalism versus the more varying or flexible traits, as demonstrated by comparing European and Latin American practices of capitalism. For the country comparisons, researchers have agreed on 3 common variables to evaluate the capitalist practices of a Latin American country with a European one. These shared variables are 1) The power of the country's currency, 2) The informal versus formal employment of the labor force, as well as unemployment rate, and 3) The income gap between the rich and poor. Each researcher will also include 1-3 additional …

The Age Of Change? Young Adults And Third Party Politics In America, Ava M. Schroeder

Research & Creative Achievement Day

This is a capstone research poster looking at college students' opinions on political parties in America. The research focuses on third parties and more particularly why they have failed in the past and what to expect as younger generations become increasingly involved in American politics. The research was conducted, via Qualtrics, by surveying Winona State University college students as a requirement of the Political Science and Public Administration program at Winona State University.

Students' Thoughts On Use Of Political Violence And Other Forms Of Unconventional Political Participation, Joshua L. Hansen

Research & Creative Achievement Day

This research project is about Winona State student's thoughts on different forms of unconventional political participation such as riots and political movements where violence is used as a tool. Research was conducted through Qualtrics in a collaboration with peers in the same course. This survey was given to Winona state students and asked their thoughts on movements that have turned towards unconventional political participation methods. This project was done as a part of the Political Science and Public Administration program.

Proposed Charlotte To Atlanta High-Speed Passenger Rail Line: An Economic, Infrastructural, And Developmental Analysis In The Upstate Of South Carolina, Ian C. Macurda, Kimberly Whitehead

SC Upstate Research Symposium

This research paper is an in-depth analysis of the high-speed passenger rail line proposed between Charlotte, NC and Atlanta, GA and its impact on the economy, infrastructure, and future development of the Upstate of South Carolina. Currently, passenger rail service between Charlotte and Atlanta is offered on Amtrak at late hours throughout the night on its long-distance passenger rail line The Crescent from New York City, NY to New Orleans, LA. The train is often delayed and is operating at a deficit for Amtrak, like most of their long-distance routes. Traffic on Interstate 85 through the Upstate is another issue …

Hgs-3 The Influence Of A Tandem Cycling Program In The Community On Physical And Functional Health, Therapeutic Bonds, And Quality Of Life For Individuals And Care Partners Coping With Parkinson’S Disease, Leila Djerdjour, Jennifer L. Trilk

SC Upstate Research Symposium

Purpose Statement: Several studies have shown that aerobic exercise can have a positive impact on alleviating symptoms experienced by individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). Despite this evidence, the potential benefits of exercise for both PD patients and their care partners (PD dyad) remain unexplored. This research project investigates the effectiveness, therapeutic collaborations, and physical outcomes of a virtual reality (VR) tandem cycling program specifically designed for PD dyads.

Methods: Following approval from the Prisma Health Institutional Review Board, individuals with PD were identified and screened by clinical neurologists. The pre-testing measures for PD dyads (N=9) included emotional and cognitive status …

Uncharted Territory: Researching The Effect Of Implicit Bias On The Political Attitudes Of Black Participants, Briona Young

Scholars Week

Extant research suggests that implicit bias can predict behavior such as voting, policy preferences, and assessment of government performance (Pérez 2010). Yet, research on implicit bias has largely excluded people of color, leaving a wide gap in our understanding of implicit bias and its effects on society (Orey, 2013). In this study, we research implicit bias within the black community and test its effects on political attitudes. We administer Harvard’s Implicit Association Test (IAT) and a survey to measure levels of implicit bias and subsequently policy preferences and trust in government. We expect to find that the black participants with …

Christian Nukes: The Effects Of Christian Ethics On Support For Nuclear Strikes, Jack Jogerst

Seaver College Research And Scholarly Achievement Symposium

Over the last several decades, constructivist and realist scholars of international relations have acknowledged the empirical holes in deterrence theory and debated the conditions contributing to the non-use of nuclear weapons since 1945. While constructivists have argued that a strong norm of non-use has constrained state behavior through a logic of appropriateness, realist scholars have contended that a logic of consequences prevents their utilization. In the last decade, a wave of survey experiments have measured the validity of these theories. Though these studies generally seem to reaffirm the realist perspective, the literature largely overlooks the micro-level variables that might be …

Global Criminal Justice Practices And Public Safety, Rachel Hwang

Posters-at-the-Capitol

Popular political discourse in the U.S. assumes that more funding for law enforcement and prison facilities will make civilians safer, presumably by reducing crime and sense of disorder. However, studies have shown that the relationship between these factors may not be as straightforward. With the killing of George Floyd and increased media coverage of police brutality, existing literature focuses mainly on the relationship between police and crime in the U.S. The impact of incarceration (the result of procedural justice) on the community (for whom procedural justice exists) is less known, especially on a global scale. We argue that cycling people …

Msis-Ledder: Agent-Based Modeling To Explore The Assumptions And Constraints Of Humanitarian Response To Refugee Situations, Erika Frydenlund

Annual Symposium on Biomathematics and Ecology Education and Research

No abstract provided.